Cat's In The Cradle
by thatiranianphantom
Summary: My child arrived just the other day...
1. Silver Spoon

**A/N: I make no excuses for this, I was forced into writing fluff :P **

The shrill cry came exactly when Kensi expected it, practically to the second. The thought filled her with irrational pride, even as her mind was still thick with sleep. She rolled over and kicked her bedmate's shin.

"Ow! God, Kensi! What the hell?"

"Your daughter is crying," she mumbled.

"_My_ daughter?"

"Yes. And the next kick won't be to the shin."

With a groan, Deeks stretched his legs over the side of the bed. Blearily, he rubbed at his eyes and shakily stood. As he made his way over to the door, hearing the cries gain volume, he looked back at Kensi.

"You know, I seem to remember two of us making her. Could be wrong, of course. But to my recollection…."

"No, you're right, Deeks. Equal partnership, right? We take equal turns?"

He allowed himself to think he just might be able to go back to bed as he nodded.

"Let's compare, then. How long were you puking your guts out while still forcing food down so she could grow? Oh, and I'd really like to hear about _your_ stretch marks. And I _always _forget this one…when did you shove a seven pound human out of you?"

There was a long pause.

"I'm getting the baby, aren't I?"

Kensi flopped over. "You're getting the baby."

(_break)_

Deeks loved his daughter's nursery. He had planned it painstakingly. The color (green, not that disgusting bright green, but a nice, soft green), the patterning on the walls (elephants), the bedding (also elephants), and even the little toy that his impossibly tiny daughter slept with. An impossibly soft lamb was clutched in her tiny, tiny fist.

Or it normally was, except now, those little fists were flailing madly in the air, and her little face was tear-stained. Some impressively loud screams were coming from his daughter, and that, for some reason, filled Deeks with a sense of pride.

His baby had guts.

Like her mother.

"Hey, hey, baby girl," he soothed, carefully scooping her out of her cradle and arranging her tiny body in his arms. "It's alright, Daddy's here. Are you hungry, angel, or did you just need a cuddle? 'Cause I gotta be honest, if it's the first one, I'm…how do I phrase this in an age appropriate way…there are people better equipped to take care of that."

He _swore_ she gave him exactly the same glare as Kensi would. He could practically hear the _really, Deeks?_

He grinned. His baby was just like her mother. And he couldn't be prouder if he tried (although the amount of baby pictures in his wallet _was_ starting to become vaguely frightening).

Deeks passed a finger over his little Annabelle Rose's cheeks as she calmed against his chest. He still could not believe how small she was. The doctors had told him she was a perfectly normal weight, she was perfectly healthy, nothing to worry about, but that never stopped Deeks from sneaking into her room when he knew Kensi was asleep and standing there until his legs were ready to give out on him, just watching his baby breathe. Just to make sure she still was.

He couldn't see himself ever stopping.

The baby's cries had softened into hiccups now, as her head lay against his shoulder. For the millionth time, Deeks wondered what he could have done to deserve this. To deserve Kensi, who he'd wanted for so long but never actually counted on it happening, and his amazing daughter.

Five days old and already wrapped around her finger. She was definitely her mother's daughter.

"Do you feel like sharing with the rest of the class, or are you going to hog the baby forever?"

Deeks barely managed to control his racing heart as his head snapped up and his eyes focused on Kensi, leaning against the doorjamb.

"Whoa, Mommy scared Daddy," he whispered to his daughter. "Didn't we tell her it's just Daddy time? Mommy gets you the whole day tomorrow"

Kensi came into the warm nursery with a small smile.

"So does Daddy. I don't think she'd have any objection to Mommy, Daddy _and_ Annabelle time."

"I could be persuaded into that," Deeks grinned. Kensi laced her fingers through his without another word, while her other arm gently lifted the baby towards herself.

Deeks found himself being led to the soft chair in the corner of the room, sitting without complaint. Kensi lowered herself onto his lap and arranged Annabelle so she was lying in between them.

Deeks reached for a blanket lying on the floor and covered all three of them, one hand slowly stroking Kensi's shoulder as she fell asleep again, and one hand in Annabelle's tiny fist.

He watched as Annabelle's mismatched eyes, exactly like her mother's, and wondered how he possibly got so lucky.


	2. Separation Anxiety

**Ladies and gents, I'd like to introduce you to another example of my inability to write fluff. So much so, that I call this one (drumroll):**

**Separation Anxiety.**

**As in, I've been separated from my preferred angst for too long and it's having very adverse effects.**

**Anyhow, enjoy. This is kind of in the same universe as Cat's In The Cradle. **

**Also, I hope to update John, I'm Only Dancing within the next two days. **

"It's cruel. And unkind. And heartless. And you should be ashamed of yourself. Ashamed!" Kensi snapped as she stomped off.

Sighing deeply (this was the twenty-first time they had this same argument. Yes, he counted), Deeks followed Kensi, gently grasping her arm and stopping her at the door.

"Not cruel. Not unkind. And it isn't like I want to do this either, Kens," he soothed. Well, said in a tone with a soothing inflection. The term "soothed" would not go over well with Kensi.

Her eyes lit. "Then let's not do it, Deeks!"

She angled into him, batting her eyes. "Come on. You know you want to. Let's just blow off everything and stay home. They don't really need us at work either."

Despite his best efforts, a small chuckle escaped Deeks. Immediately, Kensi's brows furrowed as she glared at him, swinging one arm out and socking him in the shoulder.

"I do _not_ have separation anxiety. I told you this before, not that you were listening."

"No? Nothing?"

Deeks made to reach for the baby that Kensi was clutching tightly to her chest. The reaction was immediate, she jerked away, tightening her arms around her daughter.

Deeks raised a brow as he looked at his girlfriend.

"You know, in some circles….a child being held by her father is actually considered socially acceptable. Some remote Amazonian tribes actually encourage it."

Kensi shot him a glare, and glanced down at the baby, straightening her blanket.

"You know baby girl, if you're _really _lucky, you won't get your daddy's sense of humor."

"I'm hilarious."

"He's deeply annoying."

Annabelle snorted a bit, a bubble of spit coming out of the corner of her mouth.

Kensi looked up at Deeks triumphantly.

"See? Do you see? She's sick. We have to stay home."

"We do?"

"It's really the only sensible option."

"Oh dear god." Deeks gripped Kensi's arm and guided her to the door, against great resistance. He stooped to pick up the diaper back, only to stumble back when it came up, lighter than air. Almost as if it was empty.

Which was kind of a shock, given that he had packed it last night after Kensi went to bed, to avoid a situation….well, a situation pretty much exactly like this.

He looked up at his partner, unable to keep the bemused smirk off his face. Kensi ducked her head guiltily.

"You packed it wrong?" she offered meekly.

"Even so, it's kinda funny how everything in it seems to have disappeared into thin air, don't you think?"

"Well," Kensi fumbled. "She must have hid it."

Deeks cocked his head, the smirk growing wider. He took his daughter's tiny hand, rubbing his fingers over her chubby fingers.

"Well, Miss Annabelle, that's really very impressive. Though, I must say, your priorities are a bit skewed. Shouldn't we work on head control and a proclivity toward diapers that would make Supernanny cringe before we conquer thievery?"

The baby cooed, and reached her arms toward her father, but Kensi still seemed unwilling to let her go.

"So, hypothetically, if I were to check under the couch, there's no chance I'd find anything baby-related, would I?" asked Deeks, already moving toward the living room.

"I guess we'll never know," came Kensi's voice as she beat a hasty retreat from the house.

(_**break)**_

Incredibly, they made it to the daycare.

Even more incredibly, the daycare director made it through Kensi's twelve minute lecture on what to do if Annabelle was harassed by the other children at the age of four months old.

(In hindsight, _should we arm her? I've got an extra gun in the trunk_ might not have been the best thing to say, and may conceivably have been said at a bit of an inopportune moment).

Somehow, though, they managed to pry Annabelle out of Kensi's arms and get her to her desk (with the condition that her phone be out, open, on full volume and have a picture of her daughter easily visible).

The boathouse was relatively peaceful for awhile, until Deeks finally broke the silence.

"Kens?"

"What, Deeks?"

"I miss my baby."


End file.
